SPORTS IN BRIEF | December 14, 2012

Published December 14, 2012 - 5:38am Last Updated December 14, 2012 - 8:00am

Frank makes 23 saves

in Crushers’ victory

Dylan Frank turned aside 23 shots for his first Maritime Hockey League shutout as the host Pictou County Crushers blanked the Metro Shipbuilders 4-0 Thursday night.

At New Glasgow, Bruce Hornbrook had a goal and assisted on Nick Parker’s third-period marker. John Mullally and Tyler Doyle also scored for the Crushers.

Pictou County outshot Metro 49-23. The Crushers held a 35-14 shot advantage through the first 40 minutes.

Maxxim Feener made 45 saves in the Metro goal.

Pictou County improves to 15-11-5 and moves to within two points of the third-place Amherst Ramblers in the Bent Division.

Metro falls to 4-27-1 and remain in the Bent Division basement. The Shipbuilders are four points back of Bridgewater for the final playoff spot. The Lumberjacks have three games in hand.

Boxing commentator leaving after 35 years

NEW YORK (AP) — Larry Merchant is leaving his job as a ringside boxing commentator for HBO Sports after 35 years.

The network said Thursday his last broadcast will be Saturday’s season finale of “World Championship Boxing” from Houston.

Merchant had worked with Jim Lampley since 1988. Max Kellerman will now be the full-time HBO ringside boxing commentator and post-fight interviewer. Kellerman joined HBO Sports in 2005 and has alternated with Merchant the past few years.

Merchant says he will become a “Tom Brokaw-like senior kibbitzer on major news and events in boxing.”

Sources: Red Sox have deal with Dempster

BOSTON (AP) — Two people familiar with the negotiations say the Boston Red Sox have agreed to a $26.5 million, two-year contract with Canadian right-hander Ryan Dempster.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the agreement is pending a physical.

Dempster, a 35-year-old from Gibsons, B.C., has a 124-124 record and a 4.33 ERA in a 15-year big league career, most of it with the Marlins and Cubs.

Higgs defeats Laycock in Canadian Open curling

KELOWNA, B.C. (CP) — Jake Higgs needed only four ends to complete a 10-3 blowout win over Steve Laycock on Thursday at the Canadian Open of Curling.

Higgs, from Harriston, Ont., scored four in the opening end and added six more points in the fourth end.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem announced that Monday has been promoted to the newly created position after his season-long evaluation of the Canadian Tour in 2012. The PGA assumed operational control of the Canadian Tour on Nov. 1 and renamed it PGA Tour Canada.

Monday has been with the PGA Tour for 24 years, most recently serving as the Web.com Tour’s senior vice-president of tournament business affairs.